Parliament calls for action on cross border shopping restrictions
Posted, June 21, 2007 @ 00:00
Strasbourg, 22 June 2007 -- The European Parliament is championing online consumer rights with a special report, which received overwhelming support this week, drawing attention to persisting consumer complaints, particularly over cross border pricing differences.
Conservative Internal Market spokesman, Malcolm Harbour MEP, believes that on-line companies must give consumers across different countries open access to products or services.
The European Commission is currently looking into Apple and record companies, for example, following complaints that it costs more to download a track in Britain than it does elsewhere in Europe and that shoppers are blocked from buying from other iTunes stores by having to pay with a credit card from a national bank.
Mr Harbour said:
"It is not acceptable for shoppers' transactions to be blocked on the basis of their nationality or place of residence. They should be given the choice and take advantage of the lowest prices they can find. On-line shopping gives consumers powerful tools and they must be able to use them."